Report on a small ceramic assemblage from medieval Qasr Ibrim

Disclaimer

The following report reflects the author’s research interests in Meroitic and Romano-Egyptian pottery, developed during his MA studies at the University of Southampton between 2008 and 2009. This brief assignment helped the author to understand the material he used for his final MA dissertation, which was titled “An investigation of ceramic production in Meroitic Lower Nubia during the period of the Roman occupation in Qasr Ibrim”. In this article, the layout of his original assignment was modified to suit the needs of a brief online publication.

To avoid misunderstandings, the author decided not to upload his original assignment to the web due to copyright concerns. His original MA assignment included illustrations and photographs taken from other authors’ books; therefore, the intellectual property of third parties could not be republished. For the intellectual property rights of the primary archaeological material included in this online article, the author states the following:

At the time of writing this paper in 2009, the author received permission from the Department of Archaeology of the University of Southampton to study ceramic material from the Qasr Ibrim excavation and include it in his thesis and other relevant assignments. The ceramic material was part of the Department’s teaching collection at that time. Furthermore, the author received permission to sample specific artefacts and to produce thin sections for his projects, which he then returned to the Department.

At that time, there was no written agreement between the author and the Institution forbidding the publication of his work. Furthermore, there was no formal or informal discussion between the author and the Institution’s representatives, stating that the author did not have full intellectual property rights over his own essay, including the illustration of any material discussed in its text. For the above reasons, any reference to and discussion of the above archaeological material, including the original illustrations, photographs and photo-micrographs, which were produced personally by the author in 2009, are treated as the author’s own intellectual property and are utilised according to the author’s own will.

The author clearly states that publishing his work on his personal website is not a commercial activity and does not aim at economic profit. By contrast, the author wishes his work to be publicly available and freely shared with those interested in reading it. Despite the author’s efforts to produce a short journal article with his original material, it has been over 12 years since his work was made publicly available for the purpose for which it was originally written. The author states that this piece of work, which is the author’s personal intellectual property, is now publicly available for free at the author’s personal website.

Introduction

This brief report discusses a small ceramic assemblage randomly selected from the pottery recovered from the medieval settlement site of Qasr Ibrim in 1981. The site of Qasr Ibrim is located in Lower Nubia, 230km South of modern Aswan. Before the flooding of Lake Nasser, the site stood atop a 75m bluff overlooking the Nile valley. The 1981 excavation took place under great pressure due to the rapid flooding of the lake, which now covers a large portion of the site (Adams 1983, 93-5).

Figure 1: The medieval ceramic assemblage from Qasr Ibrim

The current report discusses sixteen pottery samples from the upper context levels of the site, which belong to the medieval phases of the settlement (Figure 1). All sherds come from wheel-made vessels, either imported from the broader Aswan area or from the Northern regions of Egypt. The report discusses the above samples in two major fabric groups. Twelve of the samples (3, 4, and 6-15) come from Aswan table wares (ATW), and four samples (1, 2, 5, and 16) are Middle/Lower Egyptian imports (IMP). These sherds are discussed in relation to previously reported fabrics, published by Adams (1986a).

Aswan Table Wares (ATW)

According to the geological analysis by Schülter (2006, 88-9), the main geological bed in Egypt consists of two main types of deposits. The Delta region and the banks of the River Nile consist of sands and other Quaternary sediments, formed during the Cenozoic period. The North Egyptian mainland and its extension into the Nubian desert along the West bank of the river consists of Cenozoic marine and non-marine deposits, primarily clastics, carbonates, and gypsum. This relatively homogeneous geology changes to the East of the river, where different geological formations extend over a zone between the Luxor-Aswan axis and the Red Sea coast. More specifically, the area around Aswan, which includes the shores of Lake Nasser and the site of Qasr Ibrim, consists of Cretaceous formations of the Mesozoic period, primarily clastic, phosphate, and carbonate rocks. A small area to the South-East of Aswan consists of Precambrian granitoids, which are relatively distinct. Further to the East, the geological bed is supplemented by a combination of Metagabbro-Diorite complexes, Metavolcanic formations of regionally metamorphosed felsic to basaltic effusive and pyroclastic rocks, Gneisses and Migmatites. Such volcanic formations dominate the Red Sea coastline from the Gulf of Suez to Port Sudan (Schülter 2006, 88-9).

Aswan tablewares are made of fine granitic clay, which is commonly found in the area South-East of modern Aswan. The paste of Aswan tablewares has a fine to very fine texture, very low to almost no porosity, and the sherds' hardness varies from medium-hard to very hard. The paste’s colour is usually pinkish grey (Munsell signature 5YR 6/6 or 5YR 7/4) or pinkish white (Munsell signature 5YR 8/2). Tempered inclusions show slight variations: some fabrics contain grog, sand, and rare organic inclusions that burnt out during firing. One sherd is tempered with small amounts of Nile mud, a common ingredient in Meroitic or regional Lower Nubian fabrics. Other inclusions include mica up to 5%, white opaque particles between 2% and 5%, fine, small black particles between 5% and 10%, and random clay pellets. Detailed fabric descriptions under hand specimen examination are presented below in the sample order of Figure 2:

Figure 2: The Aswan Table Wares (ATW)

Sample 3 matches Adams’ (1986b, 553) ware A3U8. It is a 15cm fragment of a small table amphora or jar (Figure 2, n. 3). It represents about 40% of the original vessel, and one of its loop handles is still intact. The vessel was probably used for serving water. The rim area has small holes, which suggest the presence of an attached liquid filter. The vessel’s wall thickness ranges between 4.5mm and 6.5mm. The amphora’s exterior surface carries a thin red wash (Munsell signature 10YR 4/4).

Sample 4 is a 9cm base from an unknown vessel form (Figure 2, n.4), possibly an R13 tableware (Adams 1986b, 550-1). Its exterior surface is covered in a thin brownish wash (Munsell signature 2.5YR 5/4) and carries smoothing marks. The base’s exterior is decorated with incised circles. The vessel’s wall thickness ranges between 6mm and 10mm.

Sample 6 is a 10cm piece from the walls of a possible amphora (Figure 2, n.6), 6mm in wall thickness. It is likely to match Adams’ ware A3U8 (1986b, 553). The sample’s exterior surface carries a red wash (Munsell signature 2.5YR 4/4) and red decorative ribbons made on a spinning wheel.

Sample 7 is a 9.5cm piece from the walls of a possible amphora (Figure 2, n. 7), with a wall thickness of 6 mm. In Adams’ typology, it is mentioned as A3U8 (1986b, 553). The sherd’s exterior surface carries a red wash (Munsell signature 2.5YR 4/4) and red decorative ribbons made on a spinning wheel.

Sample 8 is a 9.5cm piece from the walls of a possible amphora (Figure 2, n.8), which is likely to match Adams’ ware A3U8 (1986b, 553). Its wall thickness ranges between 5.5mm and 6.5mm. The fragment’s exterior surface carries a red wash (Munsell signature 2.5YR 4/4) and red decorative ribbons made on a spinning wheel.

Sample 9 is a 12.7cm piece from the walls of a possible jar (Figure 2, n.9), which is likely to match Adams’ ware A3U8 (1986b, 553). Its wall thickness ranges between 8.5mm and 10mm. The sherd’s exterior surface carries a thin red slip (Munsell signature 5YR 5/6) and visible smoothing marks. Its fabric is slightly coarser than the rest of the Aswan wares, containing 10%-15% Nile mud. This might suggest that the clay used for some Aswan tablewares was once quarried near the Nile banks.

Sample 10 is an 11cm rim from a small bowl (Figure 2, n.10; Figure 3, n.10), 16cm in rim diameter, which matches ware R13 of Adams’ typology (1986b, 550-1). Its wall thickness ranges between 5.5mm and 8.5mm. The sherd’s exterior surface carries a red wash (Munsell signature 5YR 6/4), and its interior surface is covered in an orange slip. It carries an external twisted string impression that might not represent intentional decoration. According to Adams (1986b, 557), such vessels were left to dry before firing; therefore, the twisted string pattern is due to suspension.

Sample 11 is a 10.2cm rim from a bowl (Figure 2, n. 11; Figure 3, n. 11), measuring 22cm in rim diameter. Its wall thickness is 4.2mm, and it matches Adam’s R13 ware (1986b, 550-1). The sherd’s exterior surface carries a red slip (Munsell signature 2.5YR 5/8), and its interior surface is covered in a light orange slip.

Sample 12 is an 8cm rim from a bowl of unknown diameter (Figure 2, n. 12). Its wall thickness ranges from 4.2mm to 6mm. According to Adam’s (1986b, 550-1) typology, it is likely to be a R13 ware. The sherd’s exterior surface carries a light red wash (Munsell signature 5YR 6/4), and its interior surface carries an orange slip.

Sample 13 is a 10cm rim from an open vessel form (Figure 2, n.13), 24cm in rim diameter, matching Adams’ ware R13 (1986b, 550-1). Its wall thickness ranges between 4mm and 4.5mm. The shared carries an external red wash (Munsell signature 2.5YR 4/4) and red decorative ribbons made on a spinning wheel.

Sample 14 is a 15.7cm piece from the walls of an amphora (Figure 2, n.14), probably matching Adams’ ware A3U8 (1986b, 553). Its wall thickness ranges from 7mm to 8.2mm, suggesting a larger, more durable storage or transport vessel. The sherd’s exterior surface carries a thin red wash (Munsell signature 10R 4/4), and its interior surface is covered in thick white slip. The fabric of this particular vessel contains the highest proportion of tempered grog-like particles among all Aswan tablewares, reaching up to 10%.

Sample 15 is an 8cm piece from a small plate, 20cm in rim diameter (Figure 2, n.15; Figure 3 n.15). Its wall thickness varies; the walls are roughly 6mm thick closer to the rim and increase to 8.1mm towards the base. The fragment accounts for about 20% of the original vessel and belongs to the Adams’ (1986b, 543) A2 family, which reflects earlier chronological traditions of Greco-Roman polished wares. This specific fragment matches the R4 Aswan Byzantine polished red ware (Adams 1986b, 543-544). The sherd’s exterior surface is polished red (Munsell signature 5YR 4/4) and carries incised decoration of circular patterns. The pot’s interior surface, including the rim, is black-polished.

Figure 3: Illustrated samples of Aswan Tablewares

Middle and Lower Egyptian imports (IMP)

In the current assemblage, Middle and Lower Egyptian imports are made of distinct calcareous clays, common in Egypt’s Central and Northern territories. As noted in the previous section, the geological formations in these territories are primarily calcareous; therefore, all imported wares react strongly when tested with 10% dilute hydrochloric acid.

The fabric of all Middle and Lower Egyptian imports is medium to coarse and highly porous. The samples’ hardness ranges from medium-soft to extremely soft. The paste of three sherds is yellowish brown (Munsell signatures 7.5YR 6/6 to 7.5YR 8/4), and only one sample has a greenish grey paste (Munsell signature 2.5YR 7/2). Tempered inclusions are primarily large grains of opaque sand, elongated voids suggesting organic tempers, up to 1% mica, 10% grey-brown sand, 10%-15% fine black particles and 5%-10% fine white to grey-white opaque particles. Detailed fabric descriptions under hand specimen examination are presented below, following the sample order in Figures 4 and 5:

Figure 4: Glazed Middle/Lower Egyptian imports (IMP)

Sample 1 matches the ware GI of Adams’ typology (1986b, 591). It is a 7.3cm ring base from a small plate or bowl (Figure 4, n. 1). Its wall thickness ranges from 6mm to 7mm. The sherd’s interior surface is polychrome lead-glazed. It features geometric motifs in green and white, separated by dark brown strips. Adams (1986b, 591) describes this decoration as ‘Fayyumi style’, although it has been argued that this term is misused for a wide range of decorative styles (Gascoigne and Pyke NDa, 9). The sherd’s fabric matches fabric IM1 by Gascoigne and Pyke (NDb, 8). Similar polychrome-glazed wares have been recovered from kiln deposits (context 3514) at the Roman Tower of Old Cairo (Gascoigne and Pyke, NDa, 9-15).

Sample 2, which again matches Adams’ GI ware (1986b, 591), is a small 3.3cm piece from the walls of a small plate or bowl, most likely the same as Sample 1 (Figure 4, n.2). Its wall thickness is 6mm, and all other properties are exactly the same as the ones described for Sample 1.

Figure 5: Non-glazed Middle/Lower Egyptian imports (IMP)

Sample 5 is a 5.7cm piece from the walls of a possible amphora (Figure 5, n.5). Its wall thickness is 5.5mm. The fragment’s colour is pink (Munsell signature 5YR 5/4) with no visible decoration. The sherd matches Adams’ (1986b, 567-8) ware U4 of the T family, which represents Middle Egyptian importations to Qasr Ibrim, possibly from Thebes. The sherd’s fracture is divided into two colour zones: its exterior surface is pink, fading towards white on the interior. This colour variation is likely due to rapid cooling after the vessel exited the kiln. The fabric of Sample 5 matches Adams’ (1986b, 567-8) description of U4 fabric; it is tempered with 10% grog-like particles.

Sample 16 is an 8cm rim from a cup or jar, with a rim diameter of 12 cm (Figure 5, n. 16; Figure 3, n. 16). Its wall thickness ranges from 4mm to 5.1mm. The sherd is greenish-grey (Munsell signature 2.5YR 7/2) and is decorated with linear incisions and comb motifs. The sample matches Adams’ ware U13 of the L family (1986b, 576-577). Its fabric bears the same properties as the typical U13 and can also be characterised as highly calcareous, exhibiting a strong reaction to 10% dilute hydrochloric acid.

Discussion

Most of the pottery sampled from the site’s upper contexts dates to the Christian Period. According to the chronological chart presented in Figure 6, which reproduces the sequence presented by Adams (1986a, 10), six U8 samples of the A3 family date to the Classic Christian period (Figure 7), between AD 850 and AD 950. Five R13 samples (Figure 7), noted in both A3 and A4 ware families, date to the Classic and Late Christian periods. These samples date to AD 950-AD 1300. A single sherd, Sample 15, seems to belong to earlier Greco-Roman traditions of the A2 family, dating to the Early Christian or transitional period, circa AD 350-AD 850 (Adams 1986b, 408). This sample is most likely residual.

Figure 7: Ware groups

The Lower and Middle Egyptian imports in the upper context levels match the chronology of the Aswan wares. According to Adams (1986b, 591), glazed ware GI represents an early Islamic tradition that was imported to Qasr Ibrim between AD 950 and AD 1100. Manson (1997, 228) suggests a similar chronology for this ‘Fayyumi style’, between AD 975 and AD 1075; however, Watson (2004, 167) argues that this specific tradition might have continued until the late 12th century AD (2004, 167). Furthermore, Philon (1980, 35-41) suggests that the definite end of this production occurred in the early 13th century AD. Sample 5, which is ware U4 of the T family, dates in the Early Christian period (AD 850-950) and is contemporary with the Aswan table wares (Adams 1986b, 408); however, Sample 16, which is a U13 ware of the L family (Adams 1986b, 576-7) suggests that the upper context levels represent a larger chronological span. According to Adams (1986b, 576), such wares are common after AD 1200 and are mainly imported in Qasr Ibrim between AD 1300 and AD 1500. This late medieval ware suggests a refined chronology for the settlement, dating between AD 850 and the earliest phases of the 13th century, if not significantly later.

Regarding their provenance, all samples from medieval Qasr Ibrim are either imported from Aswan or from the northern parts of Egypt. So far, it is unclear whether pottery production occurred at the medieval settlement of Qasr Ibrim. It is likely that the rescue excavation missed any medieval kilns or that the team’s sampling techniques missed the local sherds. According to the present pilot study, which was based on a random sample, most of the assemblage consists of Aswan tablewares, specifically those of Adams’ U8 and R13 types. Such fragments represent small amphorae, jars and bowls produced for domestic consumption. This observation suggests that most of the utilitarian pottery from medieval Qasr Ibrim was imported from the vicinity of Aswan.

Vessel thickness suggests a mean of 6mm. Such vessels can be described as thin-walled, associated with highly standardised wheel-made production modes. Such pottery production probably focused on utilitarian wares rather than large ceramic containers used for trade and commodity transportation. Most Aswan tablewares are undecorated, which suggests possible domestic consumption with no elite features; however, the presence of two imported glazed fragments and one imported bowl or cup fragment with incised decoration is likely to suggest some importation of Northern fine-wares.

Bibliography

Adams, W.Y., 1983, ‘Primis and the ‘Aethiopian’ Frontier’, Journal of the American Research Centre in Egypt (20), 93-104.
Adams, W.Y., 1986a, The Ceramic Industries of Medieval Nubia, Part I, Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky.
Adams, W.Y., 1986b, The Ceramic Industries of Medieval Nubia, Part II, Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky.
Gascoigne, A. and Pyke, G., NDa, Pottery from the ARLE/EAP Contract 102 Old Cairo Groundwater Project: The Roman Tower, Unpublished.
Gascoigne, A. and Pyke, G., Ndb, Pottery from the ARLE/EAP Contract 102 Old Cairo Groundwater Project: Fabrics and Wares, Unpublished.
Manson, R.B., 1997, ‘Medieval Egyptian lustre-painted and associated wares: typology in a multidisciplinary study’, Journal of the American Research Centre in Egypt (34), 201-42.
Philon, H., 1980, Early Islamic Ceramics. Benaki Museum, Athens Catalogue of Islamic Art 1, London: Islamic Art Publications.
Schülter, T., 2006, Geological Atlas of Africa with Notes on Stratigraphy, Tectonics, Economic Geology, Geohazards and Geosites of Each Country, Berlin: Springer.
Watson, O., 2004, Ceramics from Islamic Lands, London: Thames and Hudson.